Recently, I’ve read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that was written by Lisa Ericson, a sex researcher. According to the article, Lisa Ericson believes that men are attracted to women who have an average age difference of about six years and who are married. According to Lisa Ericson, her studies have shown that men are far more likely to cheat with someone they are attracted to despite having a known age difference. This is because their perception of the woman’s attractiveness may be mitigated somewhat by the marriage age difference that they see between them.
According to the author, it’s important for you to have a six-year age difference between you and your partner. But what about if your partner is only a little older than you? In this case, the relationship between you and your partner becomes one centered on age. You might say that it doesn’t matter because as long as he/she stays married, he/she will see you as relatively young. In other words, they won’t see you as too old which will reduce your perceived age difference and therefore will keep you from being potentially cheated on.
This study comes as interesting news for all of us who have partners who are younger than we are and who are in committed relationships. We know that relationships where the couple is both young tend to last longer than those in which the couples are both older. However, if your partner does not feel that he/she is young enough for you, there’s a chance that he/she is going to get cheated on. The author suggests that you simply take your partner for granted. She also says that marriage and commitment should be valued above all else and that you should let your partner know that.